Can you believe we’re already six months into 2021? Or that it’s been well over a year since ‘coronavirus’ became a part of the global lexicon? 

During that time, podcasts have been there to help us laugh, cry and stay informed. Whether you tuned into an episode of Desert Island Discs while baking a batch of banana bread, or plugged into The Receipts on daily walks, podcasts have helped us through. 

Although we’re going to have less spare time as lockdown eases, we’re still going to rely on great podcast series as we start to commute to work again, spend sunny days bathing in the park and make those longer journeys to see friends and family. 

And if you’re looking for something new to get stuck into next, the recently announced list of British Podcast Awards 2021 nominations is a great place to start. 

Dear Joan And Jericha, Brown Girls Do It Too, French & Saunders: Titting About and Your Broccoli Weekly are just some of the brilliant female-led podcasts up for recognition this year. And if they’ve whet your appetite, let’s take a look at the full list…

Best Comedy Podcast supported by Stitcher

• Beef and Dairy Network
• Dear Joan And Jericha
• Hidden Ireland
• Kurupt FM
• Poppy Hillstead Has Entered The Chat
• SeanceCast

Best Current Affairs Podcast

• Interconnected Voices
• Stories Of Our Times
• The Intelligence
• The Oxfordshire News Podcast
• Today In Focus
• Your Broccoli Weekly

Best Daily Podcast supported by Spotify

• Anthems
• Stories Of Our Times
• The Intelligence
• The Santa Daily
• Today In Focus
• Wake Up, Wind Down

Best Branded Podcast supported by Acast Creative

• Gardening with the RHS
• Grilling
• Military Wives: The Official Film Podcast
• Table Manners With Jessie Ware
• The Crown Podcast
• The Midpoint

Best Interview supported by Pod Bible

• Dead Honest
• Future Prison
• Masala Podcast
• The Student Sessions
• Today in Focus
• Ways to Change the World

Best Arts & Culture Podcast supported by Create Podcasts

• Happy Place
• Real Dictators
• Shade Podcast
• The Empire Film Podcast
• The Secret Life Of Songs
• Transmissions: The Definitive Story Of Joy Division And New Order

Best Family Podcast

• Bottle Ship Adventures
• Fun Kids Science Weekly
• History Story Time
• Homeschool History
• Maddie’s Sound Explorers
• World Wise Web

Best Fiction

• Cassie And Corey
• DEM TIMES
• Lem N Ginge: The Princess Of Kakos
• Once Upon A Time in Zombieville
• The Harrowing
• This Thing Of Darkness

Best Documentary

• Hometown: A Killing
• Ida Schuster’s Old School
• My Mother’s Murder
• Peter 2.0
• The Secrets In Us
• VENT Documentaries

Best True Crime Podcast

• Hometown: A Killing
• Hope High
• Hunting Ghislaine
• The Missing
• Where Is George Gibney?
• Who Killed CJ Davis?

Acast Moment Of The Year

• The Divorce Club
• Happy Place
• Sandman
• Ways To Change The World
• Where Is George Gibney?
• Who Shat On The Floor At My Wedding?

Smartest Podcast supported by Podfollow

• Maddie’s Sound Explorers
• Peter 2.0
• Stories of Scotland
• The Secret Life of Prisons
• VENT Documentaries
• Windrush Stories

Best Sex & Relationships Podcast

• A Gay And A NonGay
• Brown Girls Do It Too
• Masala Podcast
• Millennial Love
• Sexpots
• Tough Talks from Hits Radio Pride

Best Radio Podcast

• Danny Wallace’s Important Broadcast Podcast
• Fun Kids’ Story Explorers
• Homeschool History
• Slide Into My Podcast
• The Sista Collective
• The Skewer

Best Lockdown Podcast supported by Amazon Music

• BBC Your Work, Your Money
• Folk on Foot: Front Room Festivals
• Mandemic
• Phone A Friend With George Ezra & Ollie MN
• Stolen Goodbyes
• The Mentor

Best Wellbeing Podcast

• Cassie & Corey
• Discovering Dementia
• How Did We Get Here?
• How Do You Cope? With Elis and John
• Talk Twenties Podcast
• The YUNGBLUD Podcast

Best New Podcast supported by Audible

• Field Recordings
• Growing Up With Gal-Dem
• Hunting Ghislaine
• Maddie’s Sound Explorers
• Prison Bag
• VENT Documentaries

Best Sport Podcast

• A Winning Mindset: Lessons From the Paralympics
• Coming In From The Cold: The History Of Black Footballers In The English Game
• F1: Beyond The Grid
• Fight Disciples
• GIANT - A Spotify Original
• The High Performance Podcast

Best Entertainment Podcast supported by Amazon Music

• 6 Degrees From Jamie and Spencer
• A Gay and A NonGay
• James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds
• No Ideas Just Vibes
• Stars In Your Ears
• Table Manners With Jessie Ware

Best Podcast In The Welsh Language

• Clera
• Dewr
• Gwrachod Heddiw
• Nawr yw’r Awr
• Y Coridor Ansicrwydd
• Y Diflaniad

The Creativity Award supported by Audible

• Futile Attempts (At Surviving Tomorrow)
• Interconnected Voices
• James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds
• Probably True
• The Power of Sound
• Tracks: Abyss

The Spotlight Award supported by Global

• Alan Partridge - From the Oasthouse
• French & Saunders: Titting About
• Grounded With Louis Theroux
• Happy Mum Happy Baby
• The Isolation Tapes
• The YUNGBLUD Podcast

The Bullseye Award supported by Global

• Bare Naked Politics
• Benlunar
• Out of Home
• SomeFamilies
• The Confidence Fighter
• The SwimOut Podcast

The International Award supported by Podfront UK

• Bunga Bunga
• Floodlines
• How’s Work? by Esther Perel
• Revisionist History
• The Daily
• The Joe Rogan Experience

The winners will be announced in Brockwell Park on Saturday 10 July from 2pm, with hosts Poppy Jay (Brown Girls Do It Too), Jordan North and William Hanson (Help I Sexted My Boss). If you want to be part of the action, you can book tickets on the official website. 

Images: various podcast production companies